The Counterpart
by torzi-bom
Summary: They left the island, but the island didn't leave them. AU Jacket. Please R&R! chapter 3 added
1. Chapter 1

**The Counterpart  
**Pairing: Jacket  
Rating: PG-13  
Setting: Post-island. AU  
Summary: They left the island, but the island didn't leave them.  
A/N: this is a little brainchild i've had for a while! may be confusing at first. will probably run about eight similarly small parts. thanks to hilary for the title. i don't own lost, but i hope you enjoy it all the same!

**One**

--

A young red-haired boy watched his feet as he walked. His hands were warm in his pockets and he scrunched up his nose a little to rid it of an itch. A blonde girl of the same age walked with him but a metre higher along a squat brick fence, her arms extended either side of her for balance.

"Hey Amy," the boy said, looking up at his counterpart, "my friend nicked a restricted movie from the video store. Wanna watch it? It's called 'The Fly'. Sounds bloody brilliant."

"No thanks Colin," she replied absently, busy focusing on keeping her balance.

"You never wanna watch anything with me," he pouted, scuffing his feet as he walked.

"I don't like movies." Amy jumped from the fence, landing in front of Colin so he had to stop suddenly to avoid walking into her. She flashed him a smile, curls bouncing around her face.

"You're a weird girl."

"Thanks."

The pair continued down the street, side by side.

A few minutes later, Amy stopped outside a house that looked no different than the ones that preceded it.

"Bye Colin."

"Wanna go play for a while?" he asked quickly, pointing to a small playground across the street.

"Nah I have homework. I'll see you at dinner." Amy walked down the short path to the house, turning at the door as Colin called out to her.

"You know you're the strangest person in all of England."

Amy smiled. "And you're the freckliest."

--

Jack washed his hands. Rinsing off the soap, he took a brief look at his reflection in the mirror. He sometimes had trouble recognising it. Maybe that was just the alcohol.

He turned the faucet and dried his hands on the towel by the sink. With a final glance at the mirror he stepped out of his bathroom into the hallway of his Los Angeles home. His breath suddenly caught in his throat as a young girl stood at the other end of the hall, staring at him. It was the same girl he saw following him into the ocker room at work the previous day, and the same girl he caught watching him from a park bench a week before that.

"Hey!" he called, "what are you doing in here?!"

The girl quickly ran around the corner, blonde curls trailing behind her in a blur.

"Hey, get back here!" He chased after her, down the hall around the corner. She was gone.

"Wherever you've gone, you shouldn't be in my house! Go home!"

Footsteps.

He spun around, and there she was, grinning at him.

"What are you doing here? Who are you?" he asked, quickly approaching her. Her blue eyes tore into him, trying to decipher something. Just as he got close she disappeared around the corner with a familiar laugh.

A laugh he missed dearly.

"Get back here!" he called after her, racing through the house. He checked every room, but there was no sign of the girl. She'd disappeared.

--

"Amy, are you dressed for dinner?" Juliet called from the kitchen, fiddling with the nobs on the oven.

Amy walked into the room and leant against the counter, watching her mother.

"Sun's calling."

Juliet looked up at her with a questioning gaze, and a brief silence surrounded them.

Then the phone rang.

She tsked and let out a little sigh. "Don't do that. Especially when Nigel and Colin get here."

Juliet picked up the phone and answered. "Hello?" Beat. "Hi Sun…"

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Amy said and Juliet nodded, trying to listen to Sun down the line.

She opened the door to a tall man, dark-haired and handsome.

"Hello Amy!" he smiled, laying a hand on top of her head.

"Hi Nigel. Hey Colin," she added as her friend popped out from behind his father.

"Hello," he said quietly.

"Oh Colin, don't be so shy," Nigel added, pushing the young boy in front of him and inside.

"Where's your mum?" he directed at Amy.

"On the phone in the kitchen," she replied.

"Ah, well I won't disturb her just yet then. How's school?"

"Fine."

"Colin told me your teacher said you wrote the best book report in the class! Well done," he smiled good-naturedly.

Colin blushed a deep shade of crimson.

"Sorry about that," Juliet said, emerging from the kitchen. She smiled as she reached Nigel, planting a soft kiss on his lips. "Hi."

"Hi," he grinned.

"Let's get dinner started then, shall we?"

--

Jack walked hurriedly down the street, occasionally breaking into a jog. He was very late for work.

As he rushed he suddenly noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head, and there she was again. The little blonde girl stood across the street, staring at him.

He stopped. She smiled.

"What do you want from me?" he called out. The girl turned away from him, opening the gate of the house she stood in front of and walking through.

"Hey, don't run away!" Jack quickly crossed the street, following her as she walked briskly down the path and escaped through the house's front door.

Jack squared his jaw and approached the door, knocking loudly on the wooden surface. He was going to give this girl's parent an earful.

The door was opened by a soft looking blonde woman, who suddenly looked relieved to see him.

She sighed. "I was wondering when you were going to show up."

Jack was confused that she knew who he was, and the woman noticed this.

"I'm Rachel."

Jack's eyes widened.

"You'd better come in."


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

--

Jack followed Rachel into her home.

"How do you know who I am?" he asked as she led him into the lounge room, gesturing for him to sit.

"Juliet told me about you," she replied casually, sitting in the seat opposite Jack.

"She contacted you from the island? How?" he asked quickly, leaning forward.

Rachel looked puzzled. "The island? Jack, she's been off that island for years. Isn't that why you're here? Aren't you looking for her?"

A weight seemed to visibly lift from his shoulders. "She's here? She's back? Where is she?"

"She doesn't live here anymore."

Jack sighed, then remembered what led him there.

"There's a little girl who keeps showing up around me… I followed her to your door. Is she your daughter?" he asked.

"No, I don't have a daughter, just an eight year-old son. Are you sure it wasn't him?"

Jack shook his head. "No it was definitely a girl, she had long curly blonde hair, blue eyes…"

"Oh no." Rachel sighed and muttered. "She's not supposed to do that."

"You know her?" Jack asked anxiously.

"Yeah, I do. She's…" Rachel seemed to contemplate something for a moment. "She's my niece. Juliet's daughter."

Jack was too stunned to say anything.

"They're living in London. I can give you the address," she said, grabbing a scrap of paper to write it down.

"Wait… if they live in London, why do I keep seeing her daughter here?"

Rachel swallowed and handed Jack the address. Looking him straight in the eye, she spoke in a hushed tone. "I need you to promise me something, Jack."

"Of course."

"Don't be afraid of her."

"What?"

"When you meet Amy, don't be afraid of her," Rachel said, her voice straight, but her eyes pleading.

"Why would I be afraid of her? She's just a kid."

"Please, just promise me."

Jack's gaze stayed locked with Rachel's for a moment, and he gave a nod. "Okay. I promise."

--

Juliet and Nigel sat side by side on a park bench, watching Amy and Colin clamber around the playground. The sun was slicing through a cloud.

"Are you ever going to tell me about your life before you moved here?" Nigel asked, a playful tone masking the seriousness of the question.

Juliet turned to face him. "It doesn't matter."

Nigel's face dropped, all playfulness forgotten.

"Why do you keep doing this?"

"Doing what?" she replied, feigning ignorance.

A loud laugh and a squeal came from the direction of the playground and Juliet's head quickly turned. Amy was climbing to the top of a particularly high jungle gym, Colin hot on her heels.

"Hey, careful up there! No higher!" Juliet called out to them.

Nigel sighed.

"We've been together for almost a year, Juliet, and in that time you've managed to dodge every single question about your family, your past, even about Amy," he spoke in a hushed tone. "I'm starting to wonder if you care as much about me as I do about you."

"She was born in Miami."

Nigel didn't respond.

"Amy, she was born in Miami. Then we moved around a lot," she offered.

"Juliet…"

"I don't like to talk about it because it's the past, Nigel, it doesn't matter anymore," Juliet dismissed.

"I just want to know more about -"

A scream. A thud.

"Dad!"

Juliet and Nigel quickly turned their attention to the jungle gym. Colin was near the top. Amy was face-down on the ground, unmoving.

"Amy!" Juliet cried, bolting from the bench and rushing to her daughter's side.

"Dad, she fell from the top!" Colin called. "She was hanging upside-down and she fell on her shoulder!"

"Get down from there," Nigel scolded, reaching his arms up to grab his son as he climbed down.

Juliet knelt over her daughter, carefully rolling her onto her back.

"Amy? Amy?" she urged, trying to wake her. The girl's eyes fluttered open. She looked up at her mother and smiled.

"Ji Yeon's got a new bicycle," she said cheerfully, sitting up and dusting the tanbark off her clothes.

Juliet sighed.

"It's red and has a basket on it. It's really cool," she grinned, standing and taking the hand her mother offered.

"We'd better go," Juliet said flippantly to Nigel, who stood there flabbergasted, Colin in his arms.

"Juliet, she just fell on her shoulder from a great bloody height!" Nigel exclaimed. "We should be calling an ambulance!"

"Look she's fine, she's alright. I'll call you later," she replied dismissively, walking away with Amy in tow.

"She could be seriously hurt!" Nigel fought, following them.

Juliet turned, an anger trying to break through her indifferent gaze. "I'll look her over when we get home. We have to go. Say bye to Colin, Amy."

"Bye Colin," she smiled, giving a small wave as her mother pulled her away.

Once they were out of earshot, Juliet pulled Amy close to her as they walked.

"Don't you ever do that again. I told you not to climb that high," she reprimanded, gripping her daughter's hand tightly.

"I'm not hurt," Amy retorted.

"I know that," Juliet sighed, "but they don't."

--

Jack stood on the street, in his hand the crumpled address of the house before him. He'd wasted no time in hopping the first plane to London.

He hadn't even stopped to shave his beard.

As he began to walk down the short path to the front door he couldn't help but wonder why Juliet never told him she had a daughter.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **a small part to hopefully stop you from forgetting what this fic is all about. sorry i'm such a slow updater! thanks to those who've reviewed, and those who haven't don't be afraid to :)

--

**Three**

--

Jack stopped. Taking up a small portion of the doorway was a skinny blonde girl who looked about nine years-old. This was the girl he'd seen. This was Juliet's daughter.

"Hello," she said, her English accent soft and friendly to his ears.

"Hi," he replied, slightly perplexed by her nonchalant friendliness.

"You found us." She still held the doorhandle.

"I did."

"It's just as well," she said casually, pushing the door further open and walking back into the house. Jack didn't know whether to follow her or not.

"Is your mom home?" he called from the front step. Amy turned from halfway down the hall.

"She's out the back. I don't think she heard the door. You can come in, you know."

Jack stepped tentatively over the threshold. Something didn't feel right.

"Why have you been following me?" he asked as he approached the young girl who stood waiting for him to catch up.

She smiled. "I'm sorry. I was just tired of waiting."

"How do you know who I am?" he asked, following her into the lounge room where she sat and picked up a book, opening it to read.

"I'm part of you," she replied indifferently, focus on the novel.

"Excuse me?"

"You're my dad."

Jack had to suppress a chuckle. "That's not possible."

"Oh it is," she smiled, looking up at him.

"You're like nine years-old. I only met your mom just over five years ago."

Amy tilted her head. "Time is relative."

"Jack?"

Jack spun around. It was Juliet. She looked confused.

"What are you doing here?"

"Juliet," he sighed, voice heavy with relief. He rushed over to her but stopped himself before he got too close. He didn't know if he could hug her.

"How did you…"

"Rachel gave me your address. I kept spotting Amy everywhere, and I thought -"

"You did this?" Juliet turned to her daughter, squaring her jaw angrily. The girl lowered her head and nodded. "I told you not to meddle. I told you to stay away, Amy, and now look what you've done!"

"I thought it would be okay!" she defended. "I wanted to meet him!"

Juliet raised a hand to her forehead, desperately searching for what to do. Jack had to remind himself of Rachel's words.

"You need to go to your room," Juliet said calmly. Amy pouted.

"But mum -"

"Go to your room Amy. And _only_ your room, you understand me?"

"Fine," she mumbled, standing up and shuffling out of the room.

There was a moment of silence.

"Where was she?" Jack asked, and Juliet turned to him in confusion. "Where was Amy while you were on the island?"

Juliet sighed. "It isn't that simple."

"It sounds pretty simple to me," he protested.

"It's really not."

"In all the time we spent together, you never told me you had a daughter back home." He shook his head, trying to keep his anger in check.

"I never told you I had a daughter because I didn't." Juliet looked him in the eye and he stopped.

"She's yours, Jack."

Jack scoffed. "You can't seriously expect me to believe that. There's no way she is only five years-old, Juliet."

She shut her eyes. "Time… is relative."

"What does that even mean?" he argued.

"It means she may be older than five, but she was born five years ago."

--

Rachel was in the kitchen making dinner when she heard her son's voice. She found this a bit odd as she knew he was alone in his room, so she turned down the stove and followed his sound. She soon heard a girl's voice and rolled her eyes.

"Amy," she called, and opened Julian's door without knocking. Amy sat on the bed, her legs dangling, and Julian was cross-legged on the floor in front of her.

Amy looked guilty.

"Does your mom know you're here?" Rachel asked pointedly. Amy shook her head.

"Don't make her go!" Julian defended, sitting up straight.

"Its okay, I won't," Rachel exhaled. She went and sat next to Amy on the bed.

"You've been following Jack, haven't you?" she asked her niece.

She nodded. "Mum's really mad."

"Well of course she is, you can't have expected her to be happy about it," Rachel reasoned. "And I bet she told you not to come here."

"Not specifically."

Rachel had to stop herself from smiling.

"Has Ji Yeon got her new bike yet?" Julian asked.

"Yeah," Amy replied, suddenly chirpier, "it looks really cool."

"Tell her I say hi."

"Okay."

"Not right now!" Rachel said quickly, grabbing onto Amy's arm. The girl giggled. "Right now you need to go home before you get yourself into more trouble."

"I'm already in as much trouble as you can be in."

"I dunno about that," Rachel chuckled, "there's a whole world of trouble out there."

"Mum's _really_ mad."

"Don't be too worried about it," she replied, wrapping an arm around Amy's shoulders, "she may be _really_ mad but she also _really_ loves you. And who knows, she might be happy about it in the end."

"Maybe. But I think now we're in danger."

"Danger?" Rachel asked, perplexed.

Amy hung her head. "I wasn't the only one following Jack."


End file.
